Sasuke Comes Clean
by FGLB
Summary: Sasuke is hiding a secret that dates back far before his betrayal, and now, after turning traitor, that secret still draws him back to Konoha, back to his former home, and back to...Her.


A/N- Hi! I'm rather new to the Naruto World, I haven't really seen much of the series, but I have read a lot of fanfics based off of it and decided to give it a try myself. This is a one-shot about Sasuke after his betrayal and a certain secret he's keeping. Believe it or not, I was inspired to write this chiefly by the Velvet Underground's song, Heroin. If you ever hear it, you can imagine how strong the addiction must be to those who use it. I drew a parallel between the substance addiction in the song and Sasuke's addiction to revenge. Then, I felt I had to throw some romance and happiness in there, so if you are looking for a tragedy, then this isn't your kind of story. If you feel that Sakura and Sasuke deserve a happily-ever-after scenario, then read on! All right, that about sums up my speech so I hope you enjoy the story! And of course, I don't own Naruto.

Sasuke stood above Konoha, the wind pulling through his jet-back hair. He was watching her again from a perch in the highest tower. He snuck in here when he got a break from Orochimaru's various and incredibly boring missions, and while masking his Chakra he would stay up here for days, watching her. He made sure he was the only one who would ever know this, but he loved her. He, Sasuke Uchiha was in love, and always had been, with Sakura Haruno. He would die, probably soon, and he would take that fact to his grave.

There she was. He smiled as she left her house and squinted at the morning sun, her soft features highlighted through his Sharingan. The pink-haired beauty smiled and seemed to look RIGHT AT HIM. His heart skipped a beat and he ducked beneath the precipice of the tower. Had she seen him? He cautiously peeked over the ledge; she was still there with that gorgeous gentle smile still on her lips, but she was looking at the rising sun etched behind the tower, not at him. He sighed in relief and took to studying her again.

He had fallen for her almost before he could remember. She was incredible. Beautiful. And the kindest, quirkiest, and feistiest little thing he had ever laid eyes on. He had wanted so much to tell her, hold her, protect her, make her his own, tell her that he was hers… and then he remembered. Like a knife through his happiness he remembered. Blood. Rain. Sorrow. Hate. It consumed him, flowed through his lungs, his veins, and his brains; gave him fury and strength, and he felt alive for death. And it told him clearly that there was no room for anything, anyone else. He was riding the storm of hate and revenge to his death and there wasn't a place for anyone else with him. He couldn't, he wouldn't drag anyone else he cared for into his own personal hell anyway. That place was for him and only one other person. Itachi.

She was walking now, her cute pink locks swaying in the soft morning breeze. Just on her morning stroll before heading off to face the world of the hospital. She walked like this every morning; that much he knew. What he didn't know was why she still smiled. He had torn her heart out and spit on it. He didn't want her to have any connection to him. Not her, not Naruto, not Kakashi, none of those kind and wonderful people destined for great deeds of goodness. If they were linked to him, chances were they would be pulled down with him into the spiraling storm of his life that was only headed for destruction.; his own, and that of anyone opposing him. He would never wish that for her. So he hurt her. Drove her away. He summoned his hate and let her have a taste of his blackened heart. It devastated her own fragile heart. He had seen it in her eyes. She should still be hurting. Not that he wanted her to, but if he knew her, she didn't let things go. So why was she smiling?

She reached Naruto's place and waved at him as he stood on a ladder, painting the side of his house. The friendly and kind, if occasionally over the top, young spiky-haired blonde waved back with a big grin on his face. Sasuke felt another smile creep up on his lips. He remembered how determined his other former teammate had been and how much Sasuke meant to him, even to the point of fighting him almost to death in the shadow of that waterfall on that lake, years ago, trying so hard to bring him home. If only things had been different, Sasuke thought, we could all be happy together. I could just jump down there with you and grin and embrace you and laugh and cry and joke and everything would turn out ok… But it's not how things are. And I'm up here watching the two people I care for most in the world like a stalker, never to get any closer to them than this ever again. With an unlikely sad smile Sasuke felt his hatred's respite. This is all you, Sasuke. This is what you want, remember?

Sakura continued past Naruto's place on her morning stroll, approaching an all-too-familiar bridge. A bridge with a lot of memories. A place where they had talked before. Sasuke waited for her to falter, but to his continuing surprise, she didn't hesitate and continued onward. Is she over me? He asked himself. I hope so, for her sake. She continued on, passing another spiky-haired figure, this one older and with a mask pulled up over his lazy features. He stopped reading his little book to lunge at Sakura unexpectedly, tickling her till she fell over laughing. She still pretended to be angry and threw a weak little kick at him. He dodged it, laughing heartily and offered his hand down to help her up. She couldn't keep a straight face and smiled again, giving her former sensei a hug before continuing on. Ah, Kakashi. Thought Sasuke. The only teacher I ever respected. I'm sorry if you don't understand. It's my only weakness, my only addiction; this hate. Sasuke, unable to watch them any longer, sat down wearily, his back against the precipice wall, his mind drifting over memories.

Sakura and Naruto quarreling good-naturedly while he looked on impassively. Watching Sakura in all her attempts to impress him and pretending to ignore her, inwardly jumping for joy that she cared so much. Listening to Kakashi at night while he related stories and tales too outlandish to be true, but it didn't matter, they were all still together, still family. And they still were, just without him. He sighed and turned to peer back down at the pink-haired girl walking down beneath him. Startled, he realized he couldn't see her, even with his sharingan. She was gone! Forgetting stealth, he stood up and looked over the edge, trying to catch a glimpse of her anywhere down there.

"Where did you go?" He muttered aloud.

"I didn't go anywhere." The voice came from behind him and he nearly fell off the tower in sheer surprise and recognition. How did he not sense the approach?! And that voice… "You did."

He whirled around, his heart pounding. There she was. In all her shining glory and beauty and magnificence and anger and sadness. There she stood illuminated against the rising sun shining through the opposite window. He had never been taken off guard like this in his life.

"Sakura…"

"Why did you come back?" The query was cold and angry, and he couldn't answer to those blazing green eyes. Her smile was gone, replaced by sternness.

"How did you know-"

She cut him off. "I see you up here every time you come to Konoha. And I try to be happy and I try to move on, but you just won't let me, will you? Even now." She put her hands on her hips and glared coldly at him. "Oh, and you really should get better at hiding, because I could see you plain as day. Now answer me! Why do you keep coming back here?" Behind her frigid expression, Sasuke could foresee the tears. So, he thought. She isn't over me after all.

He composed himself and met her penetrating gaze, drinking in her wondrous presence before answering carefully.

"Sakura, I only come here to remind myself of what things once were, and to strengthen myself by focusing on why they aren't anymore, it helps to-"SMACK!

He hadn't even sensed her hand approaching his face at god knows how fast before she had slapped him hard. Either his senses were getting worse, or she had gotten a whole lot better.

"YOU BASTARD!" She stepped back, tears welling in her eyes, staring hard and fiercely into him. Sasuke held his smarting face thinking of how much she had grown since he had last seen her when she was so weak and tentative. Now… this?

"STILL ONLY DOING THINGS FOR YOURSELF! NOTHING'S CHANGED, HUH?!" She screamed at him.

Now that wasn't fair. Despite everything he had locked inside for her sake, despite all the layers of secrets, he at least wanted some recognition for all that this really meant to him. So he leapt forward and grabbed her wrist. She stared at him incredulous, probably wondering, and not caring, if he was going to hurt her.

"LOOK." He snarled. "YOU WANT THE TRUTH THAT BADLY?" He meant it. He would only tell her if she meant it too.

She looked at the floor as if trying to see through it. "Yes, Sasuke. It's all I have ever wanted from you. Just the truth." A tear fell between them. Then another. One from each face.

"Fine. Here it is. I don't hate you. I don't hate Naruto. I don't hate any of you. In fact…" He stared hard at her, pulling in her gaze, her surprise. "I care more for all of you guys," He gestured around them. "And this whole city than I ever could for myself or anything else." He could see the dawning realization and the softening of those magnificent emerald eyes of hers as they mirrored the tears in his own. "And you know what else, Sakura?"

She tried to reply, but all that came out was a stuttered sob. Sasuke released her arm, and in turn released any consideration and restraint he would normally have against all that was happening, felt his screaming hate begin to decrease in volume, felt it slip away somewhere, he didn't care where, and he gently cupped her beautiful face in his hands, taking in her irises, her eyelashes, her lips, and her, Sakura Haruno into his heart, and he confessed without a second thought.

"I love you, Sakura." He heard her gasp. "I pushed you and everybody else away because I didn't want you to follow me to where I was going. I wanted to protect you!" He laughed bitterly. "But, in the end, all I did was to hurt you more. And all along I put my own hate before the ones I loved. And for that, I'm truly more sorry than I could ever say." He found was gazing so deep into her that he barely noticed her getting closer until they were so close they almost touched.

"Is this real? Is this a trick, Sasuke? Are you going to rip out my heart again?" She whispered.

He looked at her silently pleading for what he had always wanted to give her, and he found that today, he had gone far, so much further into the truth than he had ever gone before; he felt high, so high, so reckless, so, so, so careless! He felt as if a world was being pulled off his chest. This was so easy! Itachi, his past, the blood, the rain, the pain, all gone, didn't matter. All in the past. Done. Dead. Over. This… this was all that mattered now. She was all that mattered.

His eyes glowing with newfound life and energy, he faced her. "Never again will I hurt you. Never again, Sakura, will you suffer for me. This isn't a trick. This isn't a lie, I don't have any lies left, I'm tired of lies. I love you, I always have, and I always will. And I mean that."

"Oh, SASUKE!"

The sparkling of joy in her eyes was matched in intensity only by the power and speed and passion with which she kissed him. Sasuke wouldn't have given a damn if the world had ended right then. He was somewhere else, he was with the girl of his dreams, hell, this was his dream come true. He finally broke the contact to gaze down at the beauty in his arms. She smiled back at him as he gently brushed a bit of pink hair from her eyes. He swept her up and carried her over to the staircase door, which they would follow back down into the city they both belonged in, together. Sasuke smiled like he never had before.

"Let's go home, Sakura."


End file.
